Social media is testimony to the changing psychology of victims; getting an employee, who molested, fired and blacklisted from the company is better than pursuing a lengthy case against him.
Making the company lose business and receive negative press is better than dragging them to consumer courts where they can get away with a one time fine. In many cases, it is neither easy nor possible to walk into a police station and have an FIR lodged.
When the policeman didn't help but a post did
However, a genuine grievance put forward on Twitter might get the right attention and immediate action. Last year, in June, the Delhi Police registered a case after a woman alleged that she was sexually harassed by a man at Delhi Metro's Jor Bagh station. In the post, the woman alleged that a policeman standing on the platform did not take any action after she approached him for help. Hours later, she took to Twitter, more with the intention to vent and share her trauma, following which the police responded and asked her to provide contact details.
Not just the police, the authorities took note of the incident and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation issued a statement saying they take women's safety very seriously and were cooperating with law and order agencies for necessary action. The Delhi Commission for Women issued a notice to the police seeking an action taken report in connection with the incident.
There is no dearth of daily women commuters using public transport. That unfortunately but simply translates to many incidents of eve-teasing, harassment and molestation. CBI filing an FIR in Manipur viral video case being one of the defining cases on the power of social media and its potential to reach not just the local station house master but even the Parliament.
Police take up the investigation
Last month, Bengaluru police launched a hunt for a Rapido bike taxi driver in connection with sexually harassing a woman activist who booked a ride with the Rapido. Responding to her post on social media, the Bengaluru police department gave directions to the S.J.Park Police Station to look into the matter and take up the investigation. "Let alone a post written in first person by a victim, even if a third person or onlooker reports a crime of very serious nature on social media, we take action," says Ravindra K Gadadi, IPS, DCP Command Centre, Bengaluru City Police. If there is negliggence even by other police officers in not lodging a case, that is also taken very seriously, he adds. "A lot of times victims are made to make uncessary, avoidable rounds of the police station, and if the victim takes to reporting online, we take action based on those reports and posts as well." Road rage would be another similar example of instances where crimes of serious nature are brought to the notice of the police authorities.
No FIR? Woman takes to Twitter!
Perhaps one of the most direct instances of FIR vs social media were displayed in December, 2017 when a woman took to Twitter even after her repeated requests to file an FIR in a harassment case were allegedly turned down by the police. The Gurugram resident had approached a women's police station in October but her FIR was not registered, despite repeated requests. After she took to Twitter, alleging apathy by cops, National Commission for Women chairperson Rekha Sharma took note, seeking an explanation from the cops for delay in FIR. As per the complainant's statement, she was harassed by a society guard when she left home to walk her pet on October 4, at around 10pm.
You can visit CoP office between 4pm - 6pm.#AMAWITHBCP https://t.co/HHmOxbdyiO
— CP Bengaluru ಪೊಲೀಸ್ ಆಯುಕ್ತ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು (@CPBlr) August 19, 2023
In yet another incident, within 24 hours of a woman sharing her ordeal on Twitter alleging that a man masturbated on her and flashed her while she was coming down an escalator at HUDA City Centre Metro Station on the night of June 14, the police took note and filed an FIR in the matter. The case was registered against the unidentified suspect who could be seen in the CCTV footage. Would the situation have been same if the same woman mustered up the courage to walk into a police station? May be better, may be worse, but certainly not the same.
